Launch a career designing and managing development initiatives that address critical social problems like hunger, poverty, conflict, and human rights abuses.
Practical Skills for Positive Change
My name is Beryl Levinger and I have the great privilege of chairing the Development Practice and Policy Program. The Development Practice and Policy program or DPP as we call it has something for anybody who’s serious about a career in development.
One of the great things about the public administration program, and all of the DPP programs really, is that they give you the opportunity to use the skills you learn. A lot of classes are built around consultancies with real clients. So we’ve had a lot of practical opportunities to use what we learn in classes, and to get mentorship in using them in the context of working with real clients.
You’ve identified the policy issue. But I want you to do one more thing. I want you to generate one recommendation. It’s a fairly comprehensive analysis. What we’re gonna do, by the way, is the same thing we’ve been doing in the past. You’ll get a chance to look at each other’s.
Several courses each semester will require students to prepare a client deliverable. And therefore students develop skills very quickly in how to communicate with the client. How to listen carefully, how to develop products that actually meet real client needs.
I got to go to Peru for a month with an entire class and a professor. And we got to work with an organization that was founded by MIIS Allumn. To gain that kind of experience out in the field for entire month with these other aspiring professionals was so valuable and something I can’t image having had the chance to do in any other context.
In all of the work that our students do, we strive to ensure that they’re applying the skills that they’ve gained in a classroom environment, in a real setting, in a setting that closely mirrors the one they they hope to we working in as soon as they graduate.
I’ve had many opportunities to use my skills that I’ve learned at MIIS in the field. Both in the classes themselves, because a lot of them are built around student consultancies with real clients. And also through immersive programs like IPSS and DPMI.
The thing that appealed to me about MIIS is that it was a smaller campus. Big enough to have many opportunities internationally and professionally, but small enough to feel that I can have lunch with a professor. See them in office hours almost any time, if I didn’t make their office hours I could schedule an appointment with them and it was very easy.
At the end of the day you are who you hang out with. And the people you’re gonna be hanging out with are going to be your long lost posse. People like you, who are curious about the world, who are excited about the role of language, and want to make a difference.
We know that there’s oil in Monterey Bay. And there’s oil off the coast of Santa Barbara. Why aren’t there oil rigs that are pumping that oil and taking it to market and selling it?
The students we have and the faculty we have are the kindest, most compassionate, most caring, most committed people you’ll ever meet. And when I say committed I mean to a world of social justice equality, sustainability, and mutual responsibility.
I wanted somewhere that was thinking of, how do we take all the tools at our disposal and work towards social good? And it attracts students who all have a shared commitment to working for something larger than themselves. The end result for me is a really integrated experience where I feel like I’m gaining all the tools and skills that I need. All focused on what I want to be doing. And in a community that’s so supportive and has been so important to me in helping figuring out what I wanna do next.
You’re gonna be a skilled communicator. You’re gonna be a gifted listener. And you’re going to be a great leader.
The Middlebury Institute Master of Public Administration (MPA) prepares you to lead project teams, specialized departments, or development organizations that work for social change, including NGOs, governments, and UN agencies around the world.
Guaranteed $10K Scholarships
We guarantee a $10,000 scholarship per year (prorated by program length) if you request scholarship consideration in your online application to the MPA program. You may also receive additional merit and need-based scholarships. Learn more about scholarships, grants, and other aid.
Curriculum
You will take courses in management and leadership, finance and administration, evaluation, policy and data analysis, development theories, and more. You will learn to translate mission into effective social change programs by engaging in intimate discussions, hands-on projects, and fieldwork that may take you as far as Rwanda or as close as the challenges of Salinas, California. Your classes will often feature work with real clients, allowing you to develop practical skills before you graduate.
To open up your global career opportunities, you will take content courses in a second language and/or courses in intercultural competence.
Earn this 60-credit degree over four full-time semesters at our Monterey, California, campus. If you have relevant course work and/or experience, you may be able to complete the degree in two or three semesters.
See the curriculum for more details.
Customize Your Degree
The flexibility in our curriculum gives you opportunities to customize your degree through studying a second language or intercultural competence, optional specializations, professional practica, accelerated programs, joint degrees, our International Policy and Development program, and Peace Corps connections. Check out the degree overview for your options.
Launch Your Career
Career and Academic Advising
Your career and academic advising are integrated, ensuring you align your course work with your career goals. The same advisor will guide you from course registration to preparing for interviews and negotiating your employment offers.
The D.C. Advantage
Many of our students plan to work in Washington, D.C., after they graduate. Our large and influential alumni network in the capital is eager to help you prepare you for your next steps. Our Middlebury in DC office is centrally located and provides the entire Middlebury community with a wealth of resources. Furthermore, our annual Career Exploration Week in the nation’s capital gives you facilitated and direct access to D.C.-based employers.
Careers
The Middlebury Institute is an excellent place to launch your career, whether your path leads to D.C. or elsewhere. Our graduates are working at organizations like the United Nations, Catholic Relief Services, and the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Explore careers in public administration.
Research and Practice
Build valuable professional experience while earning your degree and be ready to make an impact in your career as soon as you graduate. You’ll benefit from our research centers, labs, and initiatives. Enhance your education with a graduate assistantship and attend events and conferences with leading experts.
- The Center for Conflict Studies focuses on the study and application of the right tools for managing conflicts and therefore approaches conflicts as vehicles for change.
- The Graduate Initiative in Russian Studies enables students with advanced Russian language skills to professionalize their interest in Russia and Eurasia.
- The Digital Learning Commons is your campus hub for technology, creative problem solving, exploration, and peer-to-peer teaching and learning.
- The Mixed-Methods Evaluation, Training, and Analysis (META) Lab addresses the growing need for data-savvy professionals across a broad range of fields.
Professors and Practitioners
While other graduate schools rely on teaching assistants, our students have direct access to our faculty, who combine academic expertise with years of professional experience in major international organizations, including UNCHR (the UN Refugee Agency), USAID, the World Bank, and the U.S. State Department.
Your professors are genuinely committed to your success and, together with your career and academic advisor, will become your mentors and colleagues throughout your career. Meet your faculty.
Featured News
Our graduates find rewarding careers in social change, disaster relief, and democratic governance organizations around the world.
Career Outcomes
- 93%
- Employed within one year of graduation
- 9+
- Countries in which recent graduates are employed
- 10+
- Industries entered by recent graduates